Theory of It All
by CreptFromTheAbyss
Summary: Samantha Brendall, or Sammy, is a ten year old girl with big dreams of becoming a Pokemon trainer. Joined by childhood friends Alan and Eve, she decides to take on the Pokemon Gyms of the Kanto region, learning along the way what the true value of friendship is. Rated T for violence and minor language.
1. Prologue

Pallet Town. A place for the beginnings, hopes, and dreams of many a young Pokemon trainer to come to fruition. The majority of Pokemon League champions actually grew up in the peaceful little town, giving their mothers and fathers pride. There was also a very famous man living in their midst by the name of Samuel Oak. He was one of the factors in the champions' rises to fame, often giving them their first Pokemon and a Pokedex to begin their long journey.

Tomorrow would be one of those days.

Sammy stared at herself in her bathroom mirror, cheeks pink and eyes bright. She wiped a bit of toothpaste off her lips, then spun on her heel, turning off the light and striding into her room. She looked to her clock, then to the posters beside it, which portrayed posters of famous trainers and their teams. She would get her first Pokemon tomorrow and set off on a journey through the Kanto region. Her gut twisted in a mix of excitement and nervousness. She went to the edge of the stairs leading to the first floor, leaning over the railing and calling goodnight to her mother and father. Then she made her way to her bed, crawling beneath the blankets (decorated with pokeball designs), and turned off her lamp. She stared into the darkness for a long time, imagining how it would go. She knew of two other to-be trainers who were in the same boat as her; they were childhood friends. That meant that they would be rivals... Excitement boiled up in her again, and she clenched her fists in the covers, taking deep breaths to calm herself. She tried to close her eyes, thinking it would be fruitless due to her excitement. Without even noticing, she drifted off into a deep sleep.


	2. Chapter One

She was woken by a gentle knocking on her door. She leaned up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her mother leaned in, a tight smile on her face. "Alan and Eve are waiting for you downstairs, honey," Sammy looked over at her, giving her a bright smile. That queasy mix of nervous excitement had her hands shaking as she dressed herself and pulled her backpack onto her shoulders. She turned, looking around at her room. It may be the last time she'd see it for a long time, and she felt her heart ache.  
Sammy made her way downstairs after packing a few extra things, noting that her friends were, indeed, waiting for her. They appeared to be soaked; looking out the window, she could see rain splashing against the glass. She shivered subconsiously and took the parka her father offered, slipping it on. Alan and Eve stared at her, their eyes bright and excited as they accepted her parents' similar offering of a raincoat for each of them. "You ready for this?" Alan asked her, a hint of challenge in his voice. Sammy smiled tentatively. "Born ready," she said quietly. Her mother stooped to hug her tight and kiss her forehead. "You guys take care, y'hear? I want plenty of phone calls home," she said sternly. Sammy thought she'd start crying, but she simply stood, biting her lips and looking with both pride and sorrow at her child. Her father ruffled her hair. "You heard your mother. We'll take good care of everything here." he promised. Sammy smiled again, brighter. She waved goodbye to her parents as she pulled the hood of the parka over her head, following her friends out into the rain.

Their boots sloshed in the mud, and they were strangely silent as they made their way to the laboratory. Even as ten year olds (eleven in Eve's case), they understood the sacredness of the moment they were about to experience, and let the silence hang between them, save for the occasional sqeak if someone stepped on someone else's shoes or if they tripped. By the time they arrived at the lab, they were liberally coated in mud and rainwater. An assistant opened the door for them, then ran off to get towels for them as they waited, shivering and giggly, in the entryway. They seemed to be impressed with the lab; there were books spread about everywhere, with most open or bookmarked, as well as photos and paintings of all sorts of Pokemon, most of which the youngsters had never seen before. As they ogled over the area, the professor himself came down to greet them, chuckling when he realized they weren't paying attention. "Welcome to the Oak Laboratory." he began, startling the three children into staring at him, stupefied. They knew him, everyone knew him. He used to babysit them sometimes, always came over to visit. But now, looking at him in his lab and knowing what they were about to do, they seemed to realize just who he was. Ignoring their owlish gazes, he went on, "As you all know, this world is inhabited with creatures called Pokemon. Some people keep them as pets, and some use them to battle. I, personally, research them." He grinned, as if recalling something. The assistant had come back with the towels and handed them off to each child, before hurriedly wiping up the floor and scurrying off. "Today is the first step to a grand adventure that many trainers before you have walked. Come."

The professor turned, leading the now dry group further into the lab. Upon entering the actual lab part of the laboratory, they gasped. Eve whistled softly, prompting Alan to jab her in the ribs with his elbow. Sammy felt her heart swell nervously, completely uncertain of what would happen at this point. Oak went over to a strange-looking machine by the wall, clicking a few buttons. The platform in the middle of the room made a whirring sound, and the top of the table opened, revealing three half-crimson half-white spheres. The professor went over, pressing the release button on the Pokeballs and releasing the creatures held inside them in a beam of red light. The three children stared at them, awe-stricken.  
Oak smiled. "Here you go. The grass-type Pokemon, Bulbasaur, the water-type Pokemon, Squirtle, and the fire-type, Charmander. Go on, take your pick," he urged softly, leaning against his machine to watch. Alan looked at the two girls, then tugged Eve's sleeve. "You're the oldest, so you should go first!" he hissed under his breath at her. The taller girl blinked, a look of excitement crossing her features.

She went over to the three, examining them. "Oh, they're all so cute," she moaned woefully, though she seemed to be paying more attention to the grass-type. After a moment of deliberation, she picked the Pokemon up; it allowed her to, calmly nuzzling her face. Sammy felt her heart skip. She'd been thinking about it, and she thought she might have wanted the Bulbasaur. And what if her own Pokemon wasn't as hospitable as Eve's?  
Eve cuddled her Pokemon a moment more as Alan nudged the youngest girl up. Sammy squeaked and turned to him, confused. He gave a glare in return, telling her to pick. She blushed slightly at being put on the spot, but knew the reason. Alan was never very good with his choices, and he wanted her to narrow them down for him.

She hesitantly stepped forward. The little blue turtle and lizard watched her; she could see curiosity in the aforementioned's eyes, while the other seemed absolutely terrified. Sympathetic and drawn to the flame on its tail like a moth, Sammy reached out to the Charmander, watching as it backed up slightly. After a moment, she managed to coax it into her arms, standing with the little Pokemon. It still seemed frightened, but allowed her to hold it, careful to keep its tail away from her so as not to burn her. Alan strode up next, picking up the remaining Pokemon, Squirtle. The Pokemon seemed delighted, and spit a bubble at his face in a greeting. Smirking slightly, he went to stand by the girls. Oak raised a brow. "Are these your final decisions?" he asked; the trio looked at each other, eyes determined, and nodded. "Great. Now, we're going to fill out your trainer licenses and set up your Pokedexes." The children nodded intently.

The professor got out three pieces of paper and a pen, and started with, "Alright, now what are your names, ages, and birthdates?"  
Eve looked up. "Evelyn Wallace. I'm eleven, and my birthday is January 17th." Oak jotted all this down, then asked her, "Do you want to give your Pokemon a nickname? It's a male, by the way." Eve thought for a moment, then smiled. "I'll name him Giri, Mr. Oak. Is that okay?" The professor smiled. "Of course it is. Now, what about you, young man?" Alan looked up, keeping his voice steady and his face set in a proud smile. "Alan Chastel, ten, and April 30th." Oak quickly explained how to check a Pokemon's gender, and Alan grinned. "Perfect! His name'll be Azu!"  
Sammy gulped, and nervously squeaked out, "M-my name is Samantha Brendall. I'm ten y-years old, and I was born July 18th. Oh, and um..." She checked the Charmander's gender, much to the Pokemon's distaste. "I-I'll name her Charm, if that's okay with her..." Oak finished signing the papers with a flourish. "Alright, then! I'll send these off, and you'll get your trainer cards in a few days. By then, I'm sure you'll all have reached Viridian City, so I'll send them to the Pokemon Center there." He seemed proud, looking over the two trios.

"Are there any questions?"

* * *

After a brief round of questioning, the three children recieved their Pokedexes and an explanation of what it did and how to use it. Cataloguing their personal information into the devices, they bid the old man farewell. They quckly pulled their coats on again, and returned their new Pokemon to their Pokeballs. Sammy's mind was reeling. She did it. She finally had her own Pokemon, as did her friends! Excitement pounded in her chest. A knowing look passed between the two older kids, unnoticed by the smaller brunette girl. Stepping out into the rain, Alan asked, "Everyone got their running shoes?" The two girls nodded, and he grinned. "I'll race you guys to Route One!" Sammy squealed as the two elder children took off, leaving her behind in the mud. She sprinted after them after a second, just knowing there was an ulterior motive to their 'race'. She arrived, panting, at the entrance of Route One, reaching up to push her bangs out of her gray-green eyes as she looked for her friends. Panic set in as she realized she couldn't see them. Warm tears pricked her eyes and clogged her throat. They wouldn't have left her behind, would they? She sniffled, wandering farther into the route. She was only slightly familiar with this area; she remembered playing here when she was younger, before the grass grew too tall and became infested with Pokemon. But she had Charm now, so she shouldn't be scared of any Pokemon out here!

The trees around her muted the sound of the rain, and the gray clouds above hid the sky and the time from view. She glanced around nervously, still looking for her friends. "A-Alan, Eve!" she cried, her small voice straining as she raised it. There was no response, unless one counted the wind that blew through, rustling the grass and leaves around her. She shuddered, feeling very cold and intimidated by the wildness of the area. Sammy knelt down, tying her shoelaces again; a nervous tic. She startled, her body locking up in panic, when a hand shoved her shoulder. Hard. She looked behind her, giving the black-haired boy an icy glare. Alan was snickering and laughing. Sammy stood up, tempted to yell at him for being so immature. But she kept quiet. She didn't want to start an argument between her friends... Especially at a time like this...

Alan beckoned Eve out of the trees; she wasn't laughing, but Sammy could tell she had been, from her pink cheeks. She decided that being irritated at her friends was perfectly fine, and pouted at the both of them. Alan adjusted his scarf, a deep blue color to match his eyes, and turned to address them. "So, here's the plan. We're all gonna battle each other here!" Sammy eyed him suspiciously, and he grinned at her. "Slowpoke here is up first! And Eve, 'cause you won you get to do the honors! I get to battle the winner, 'cause I'm awesome like that!" Eve rolled her eyes, but pulled out her Pokeball anyway. Sammy gasped, her eyes wide. "R-right here? But our Pokemon aren't strong enough!" Alan rolled his eyes. "Battling is how they get stronger, doofus! Besides, you should put more faith in your partner!" Sammy blinked, then looked down, her face burning with blush. How could she just put Charm down so easily like that...? Oh, she'd probably made the little lizard feel terrible... She pulled out her own Pokeball, sending aforementioned Pokemon out.

The fire-type seemed to recognize her trainer, and didn't appear to hold any animosity. As a matter of fact, she appeared as terrified as Sammy at the prospect of battling her friend. Alan, acting as referee, allowed the battle to commence. Eve was off, giving Giri orders as though she was very experienced. The Bulbasaur launched himself at Charm, who squeaked in panic and dodged to the side. Sammy got over her shock after a second, and steeled herself. She had to do this, for Charm's sake if not her own! "Ch-Charm, use scratch!" she called, remembering the list of attacks that Oak had given her. The lizard lunged forwards, surprisingly quick, and slashed at Giri, the tips of her sharp claws grazing the large bulb on his back when he jumped away. She quickly gave another order, not wanting to let Eve have another chance to corner Charm. "Ember!" Still at close range, the fire-type opened her tiny jaws, releasing a small spurt of flames at the opposing Pokemon. Eve called for him to dodge, but he was too slow, and Sammy could see that he'd been burned from the way he winced at each movement he made. Changing tactics, Eve ordered, "Growl!" Giri instantly turned to glower in Charm's face, giving off a cute little growling sound. The Charmander blinked, as if stunned at the sudden change, before she was tackled to the ground. "Charm!" Sammy worried, biting her lip. "Use scratch again!" Charm scrabbled frantically from under her friend, wriggling to try and get a grip on him with her claws. The green Pokemon hissed and climbed off, jumping back as Charm kept swinging. Another few hits and he was down, panting, the bulb on his back covered in scratches and burn marks. Eve knelt down to him, scooping him up in a hug. "Oh, it's okay, Giri! You did your best!"  
Alan called the battle to a close, seeming surprised at the outcome. "I didn't expect that," he mused to himself. Overhearing, Eve scoffed. "You should have known better. Sammy had a type advantage over me!" She went back to tending her Pokemon, spraying his wounds with a potion. Alan seemed confused before he grinned. "And if fire is effective against grass, water is effective against fire!" he crowed, looking proud of his deduction. Sammy felt panic squeeze her insides again, but she fought it down, instead giving Charm her own potion. The Charmander was looking proud, but still anxious about facing the Squirtle in battle.

She didn't even know if she could understand, but Sammy gently cuddled the little fire-type and murmured encouragingly, feeling proud that she'd won. "You did really good, and I'm really happy," Charm looked up at her, forest green eyes gleaming slightly. She gave a cry of her name, and Sammy smiled, standing. "So, it's Azu versus Charm this time!" Alan stepped up with the turtle, smirking. Sammy stared back, gulping. She'd had the advantage before, so that had helped her victory. This time she was at a disadvantage, and against Alan!  
Eve called the start, and Sammy jumped to it. "Scratch!" Again surprising her trainer with her speed, Charm rushed forwards, clawing at the Squirtle. Azu flinched and jumped back. "Bubble, Azu!" Alan countered. Charm let out a shrill sound as the water-type attack hit her, already looking a bit put out. Sammy knew already that she was tired from the last battle, and guilt gnawed at her. "You can do it! Scratch, again!" Again the little lizard surged forwards, backing the turtle up. It continued like this for several moments, with the two trainers calling out orders that propelled their team forward and to a standstill, neither willing to give up. Finally, Alan saw his opening, and took it. "Tackle her, Azu!" Using his environment to his advantage, Azu pushed off of the wet earth with his strong little legs, crashing into Charm's soft belly with his head. The lizard let out a cry as the attack flung her into the nearby tall grass. Eve called the battle to a close, and Sammy went to collect her spunky little fire-type, cradling her close. "You okay?" she whispered to her, relieved when the Charmander nodded. Alan was grinning. "Wow, that was amazing! Sammy, you're a lot better than I expected!" Said girl blushed deeply, grateful of the compliment. Eve rolled her eyes, but she was smiling and laughing with them. "Good fight! Now come on, we gotta start for Viridian! I wanna get at least halfway there by tonight!"

* * *

_Uh, hey guys! *Waves awkwardly* Thanks for reading my story! This is just the beginning. And, in case anyone was wondering, this is based off the original Red/Blue as well as FireRed/LeafGreen. It also has some elements of the manga (Pokemon Adventures) and the anime. I'll try to post a picture of the three with their starters soon, since I don't want to go into too much detail in the story (I apparently have a habit of doing that unu'). Umm... Yeah. I hope I'll be posting a new chapter every week, of this length or longer. I'm trying to keep it kinda spaced out. XD_

_Reviews would be nice, but I'm gonna post the story regardless, so yeah. They just might encourage me. .w.  
I'm also open to suggestions and stuff! I already have Sammy's team planned out, but not Alan's or Eve's! And I may/may not put some other OCs in there to break up the monotony of the NPCs in the games. Yeah. ouo Thanks again for reading, hope to see you next chapter!_


	3. Chapter Two

Sorry for not getting this chapter up sooner! A lot of RL things... The past two weeks have been hellish for me. ;/ I'm also sorry for the terrible quality of this chapter; I couldn't seem to word it right. I'm taking ideas from the games, manga, and anime to make it a bit more realistic! I'm also really sorry for how slow it is right now! It'll pick up speed soon if you'll just bear with me! XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, though this makes me sad.

* * *

Getting to Viridian before nightfall was going to be an impossible task, so after a few hours of walking (running in some cases), they came to a stop under some trees, reaching a unanimous decision to make camp. The darkness was fast approaching, and the three children were utterly exhausted from trekking through the long, wet grass around Pallet Town. They began clearing rocks and debris away from their chosen camp site, piling twigs and sticks up to build a fire. The Pokemon helped under the order of their trainers, helping the task go along quicker. Sammy gazed at Alan jealously; he'd caught a Rattata on their way. The rodent wasn't very powerful, but had already proven that it was very capable of putting up a fight. She huffed slightly. She'd already tried to catch a Pokemon, but had failed terribly, catching a rock instead. Eve looked like she was still going to burst into laughter every time she so much as looked at her. She looked down, blushing, at the thought. So far, she was proving to be almost completely incompetent. Yeah, she'd won a few battles already, but that was mostly wild Pokemon. Charm was growing nicely, but how could she thrive under the command of a bad trainer? She was interrupted from her thoughts by Alan's question of, "Got a sleeping bag?" Getting up from her perch on one of the few big rocks in the area, she noticed that the camp was already mostly set up. She blushed again, feeling guilty that her self-pitying had kept her from helping her friends. She simply nodded, pulling it out of her bag and laying it out near the fire, next to the other two. Eve was rummaging in her own pack still, coming up with a plain-colored container after a moment. "Professor Oak gave me some Pokemon food to keep us afloat 'til Viridian, but we gotta be careful with it." she warned, shaking some out for the four Pokemon. They hungrily dug in; the three trainers had already battled quite a bit with the local fauna.

Sammy and Eve hurried off to a slightly more remote corner of camp to get into their pajamas, as did Alan. They then returned their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, and crawled into their sleeping bags. Though, they obviously had no intentions of sleeping yet. Alan grinned as he held up his Pokedex. "Four entries already, two of 'em filled in!" Eve scowled at him. "Tomorrow, you'll be way far behind us! Right, Sammy?" The brunette blinked, and opened her mouth to speak. However, Alan scoffed, effectively cutting her off. "Well, I'll tell ya, you two will have no chance of beating me! Just 'cause I got more Pokemon doesn't mean that they're weak!" Then he abruptly changed the subject, his voice lowering to an excited whisper. "So, what do you guys wanna do when we get to Viridian City? I'm going to go around and catch all the different kinda of Pokemon around there!" Eve thought for a moment, as did Sammy. The youngest girl already had an idea, one she was sure to surprise her friends with. Eve finally shrugged. "I dunno. Talk to the locals, try to get some advice for traveling. Where to go to get certain things..." Alan yawned, snickering at her. "So you're saying that you're gonna go gossip and shop. Boring!" The oldest girl glared at him. "Well, yeah! I need to be prepared!" she exclaimed. Alan just waved her off, leaving her to glare murderously at him from her sleeping bag. Alan's eyes fell on Sammy, who was still trying to get comfortable on the ground, pulling her bag over to use as a pillow. "Sammy? What're you gonna do when we get to Viridian?" he asked, curious. Excitement and pride filled Sammy. So she'd be the only one out of her friends with such a dream... "I... I want to take on the Pokemon Gym challenge!" There was instantly silence. Sammy felt her ears start burning as the words left her lips despite her earlier confidence. She had looked down at her hands, and now dared a glance up to see her friends' reaction. Their eyes were wide, lips forming a comical 'o' shape. She let herself giggle, snapping them out of it. "A-are you serious, Sam?" Her eyes flicked to Alan, who had asked the question. She simply nodded, causing him to gasp. "Those gym leaders are really strong! They'll chew you up and spit you out!" he exclaimed.

The youngest girl frowned. "You said it yourself! I'm good at battling!" Eve cut in this time, her voice high-pitched and worrying. "Good at battling, yeah! But not against trainers of that caliber!" Alan nodded in agreement. Sammy bit her lip, feeling disappointed. "B-but... I can do it..." She knew that she could! Or at least try to... Her friends were silent a moment, thinking. She felt her eyes well with tears. She hated when her friends disagreed with her, and she thought that they'd find the idea cool. And that they'd maybe stop treating her like a five year old. And it stung that they were trying to dissuade her by putting down her 'skills'.

"Sammy...?" She looked up, blinking back her frustrated tears. She didn't want them to see her crying. That would just put them at an even bigger advantage. "Are you really serious?" She nodded again, squeaking out an additional, "Yeah." The two older kids looked at each other in a knowing way, and Alan cleared his throat. "Well... If you're that serious... I guess that's pretty cool." She blinked, startled. "But you said-"

"I know what I said, and sorry. Just a little surprised that little Sammy had such big dreams." Eve said with a small smile. Alan grinned shakily. "Uh, yeah. I mean, you're such a crybaby that it's hard to imagine you being a big and powerful trainer and all!" At that, Sammy glared at him, blushing slightly because she knew it was true. But that was why she wanted to beat the gyms, so she could show them that she wasn't just some little girl who cried at everything!

Eve gently punched the boy's shoulder, smiling at Sammy. "So, you're going to challenge the Viridian Gym when we get there? We'll make sure to root for you!" Her heart lifted a little. She'd only startled them... She smiled cheerfully, wiping her eyes. She noticed that Alan snickered slightly at that, but ignored him. "Th-thanks!" She could still tell they weren't sold on the idea, but she'd just have to show them up, wouldn't she?

They talked a while longer before Sammy started yawning. It was then that Eve decided they should sleep, to conserve their energy for the long trekk the next day. The two younger kids agreed easily, rolling over in their sleeping bags after saying good night. Almost instantly, Alan started snoring, giving the signal that he was sound asleep. Sammy closed her eyes, but couldn't sleep, suddenly hyper-aware that they were in the woods at night with only themselves and their Pokemon for protection. She tried to swallow her fear, but felt herself trembling. She gripped the fabric of the sleeping bag tight in her fist, trying to will herself to calm down. Ugh, how could she be expected to battle gym leaders if she was shaking and scared of the dark?

* * *

The next morning came surprisingly quickly. Sammy blinked awake, surprise etched onto her face. She didn't ever remember falling asleep... Eve was up and packing her sleeping supplies, already dressed. Alan was sprawled on the ground half-out of his sleeping bag, drool running down his chin. Sammy made a face, sitting up to stretch and get dressed. She folded her bag neatly, looking over at Eve, who was handing her a pack of dried fruit. "Eat up." she advised, proceeding to then go over to nudge Alan with her foot in an attempt to wake him. Sammy let Charm out of her Pokeball, opting to feed her any of the fruits that she didn't like. The pair watched Eve's efforts in waking up the only male in the human trio, giggling when the boy groaned and rolled over. Eve was obviously getting ticked off, leaning down to rummage through his things. She made a disgusted face, throwing a pair of his boxers on the ground with a shudder. "Ewwww..." Eventually she found what she sought; Azu's Pokeball. She released the Squirtle from his confines; not surprisingly, the Pokemon yawned, as thought it had just been woken. Eve leaned down to the turtle's level. "Azu, I know I'm not your trainer, but can you use your Bubble attack to wake Alan up?" The Pokemon seemed confused, but then nodded. A devious smirk graced his face as he stepped towards his trainer, his chest puffing out as he readied his attack. Sammy and Charm watched, amused, as the boy jumped up with a sharp, girly shriek when the bubbles hit his face. The disgruntled Alan glared at Azu, then Eve. "What was that for?" The eldest girl chucked his clothes at him, putting her hands on her hips as she scowled. "If we want to reach Viridian by nightfall, I suggest we start moving now!"

Alan groaned, standing. He snatched Azu's Pokeball from Eve, who grinned sweetly in response, and started putting his bedding away. They were ready to leave within the hour, and headed out on the road again.

Not too soon after, they ran into a flock of Spearow, who proceeded to chase them out of their territory. Eve had managed to toss a Pokeball into the midst of the chaos, and was rewarded with her first capture. Sammy looked on jealously, pouting. Charm was content to walk at her side, seemingly not caring if her trainer captured another Pokemon or not. By the time the sun was high in the sky, melting the few remaining clouds, they were stepping into the city. Sammy paused, her chest swelling with pride. This was much further than they'd ever been outside of Pallet Town, and she could spot the differences already. Viridian was much bigger, not as sleepy. She squeaked as Eve grabbed for her sleeve, tugging her along while Alan pestered the locals about where they could stay for the night. After being directed to a large building with a red roof, the three kids scurried inside, looking around curiously. Pictures of Pokemon hung on the walls, and soft, lulling music played overhead. There were several other people there; Sammy recognized them as other trainers from the Pokeballs hung on their belts and the Pokemon at their sides. A sweet-looking woman called them over, noticing their ogling. She smiled. "Welcome to the Pokemon Center! My name is Nurse Joy." Eve tilted her head, then gasped. "Oh, you're who my mom told me about! You can heal our Pokemon, right?" The nurse nodded, turning to grab some trays and place them on the desk in front of her. "Place your Pokeballs in these trays, please." The children did as they were told, using their own trays. Nurse Joy smiled again. "I'll take them for a few moments. When you come back, they'll be back to full health!" Alan grinned. "That sounds pretty nifty!" Sammy giggled a little, noticing the faint blush on her friend's face whenever the pretty nurse smiled. "There are video phones in the corner, if you want to let your families know how you're doing," the woman pointed out. Eve looked over, then nodded. "Alright. Thanks!" She tugged the younger kids after her, sitting them down in their own booths. "I bet they'll be so proud of us!" Alan said with excitement, punching in the numbers too rapidly and making a mistake. Sammy pulled out a little slip of paper from her bag, as she couldn't quite remember the number yet, and carefully input the long string of digits. Her mother picked up on the first ring, smiling brightly. "Sammy! You made it to Viridian, I guess? That's surprising, it usually takes about four days to make the trip!" The youngest girl smiled slightly as her mom rambled on, recounting their adventure since they'd left the day before.

The older woman soon began fussing over her, clearly distressed by the smudges of mud on her face and clothes and the leaves sticking out of her hair. Sammy endured it all with a smile, just happy to be speaking with her mother. Homesickness filled her for a brief moment, and she even considered going home and letting Alan and Eve finish their journey. But then she thought of her recent ambition, and how good it'd feel if she became a Pokemon master before returning to Pallet. She said goodbye to her mother after several moments, hanging up after it was reciprocated. She glanced over; Alan was in a heated debate with his father over Pokemon and how to raise them, and Eve had already finished talking to her parents, talking to Professor Oak now. Sammy smiled, then got up, meandering over to the nurse. "Um," she hummed, catching the woman's attention. "Professor Oak said that our trainer IDs would be here." Nurse Joy tilted her head, then blinked. "Oh! Yes, they should be at the Pokemart. It's right in front of the Pokemon Gym, you can't miss it!" she said cheerfully. Sammy's eyes went wide and owlish. She could go ahead and challenge the gym here! "Tha-thank you!" she stammered in excitement, rushing back to her friends. They looked up at her, having just finished their own conversations. "What? I haven't seen you this excited since... well, never!" Alan chuckled. Sammy smiled widely, her hands clenching tightly to help her contain her excitement. "Nurse Joy said that our trainer IDs are at the Pokemart, which is right in front of the gym!" she exclaimed. The other children's eyes went wide. "Y-you're gonna challenge the gym _now_?" Eve asked. Sammy nodded, ignoring their looks of anxiety. "Yeah! I'm _sure_ I can win! Charm's gotten a lot stronger since we battled! I'm positive we can win!" she babbled happily.

Before they could protest she spun on her heel, rushing back up to the counter just as Nurse Joy placed their trays down. "Thank you!" the girl called as she ran out the door, pocketing Charm's Pokeball. She heard Alan and Eve calling for her to wait as they fumbled to get their own Pokemon and race after her. Following the vague directions the nurse had given her, Sammy found herself standing in front of a blue-roofed building. Assuming that this was the store mentioned, she waited patiently for her friends, who chastised her for running off. Eve went inside and got their IDs, distributing them appropriately. Sammy grinned happily, observing her ID card. Her own face smiled back at her, albeit much smaller and somewhat blurry. Her name, birth date, and trainer ID were displayed beside it. "We're official trainers now!" she cried; her friends looked at her in concern. The youngest of their trio was usually very quiet and reserved, not prone to such loud excitement. Alan started to open his mouth, but the small brunette was already walking away, towards the large, imposing structure behind the Pokemart. "Sammy, wait!" Eve cried, pulling Alan after her.

Sammy paused in front of the building, holding her breath and biting her lips. Excitement and nervousness filled her yet again, and she started to step forward when Eve stopped her, long fingers digging into her shoulder almost painfully. "Sam, wait! Look, it looks abandoned!" Trying to ignore the relief in her friend's voice, Sammy let her eyes roam over the building. The windows in the front were broken and dirty, and rust covered the door and sign. She couldn't even read what it said. Despair welled in her. "W-well, let's just see if someone's inside! It might be meant to look spooky!" She pulled away from Eve's grip, struggling to pull the doors open, much to her friends' dismay.

When the heavy metal finally slid open with a shriek, Sammy jumped back with a yelp. A small furry creature let out a cry and leaped for her; she just barely stepped out of the way and it flew past, skidding across the ground. It growled at them before turning and scampering off, letting out shrill sounds of discontent.

The small brunette's eyes were wide, her breaths frantic from the scare. Alan and Eve instantly went over, trying to comfort her. Sammy almost shrieked when another figure appeared in the doorway of the gym; Alan started bristling. This time it was a man, his face scruffy and hair white. "Hunh. I guess that wasn't my Mankey..." He looked over, noticing the cowering children.

"What're you youngsters doin' here? This gym's been closed for months."


End file.
